An Old Friend Found
by Midnight-LoneWolf
Summary: Not all of Ronon's people were destroyed, a member of the highly trained planet honor guard survived. How is she still alive, and where are the rest of her command?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Stargate Atlantis show and its characters are not my property, only the idea of General Linia and the immortals are mine; Sateda, Ronin, Dex and the rest of the Stargate Atlantis show are not mine.

On Sateda, up until its destruction, dwelt also Linia Conlan, Ronon Dex's old friend. Linia was the best warrior the world had seen in generations. She was the commander of the Immortals, the world's Honor guard. The members of the Immortals were all handpicked among the best of the best of the world's commandoes (Special Forces or SF) with further emphasis on psychological and political topics. Of all the members of the Immortals not one of them was below the rank of captain. Of the 300 Immortals one was a general (Linia), three were Colonels, and there rest were Lt. Colonels, Majors, and Captains. Each Immortal in the last stage of their initial training was given three cybernetic implants: one heightened their physical abilities, one dramatically sped up the healing process of physical wounds and illnesses, and the third improved the mental processes including providing them all with photographic memory. But the general was allowed a fourth implant, one that allowed her to interface with computers, with the help of a specially modified headband and cybernetic gloves. The headband and gloves were for times when they are not wearing their full body armor, since those capabilities were built into the electronic capabilities of their powered full body battle armor. All the Immortals were issued 3 sets of genetic imprinted powered full body battle armor specifically built for the individual. The modifications and special abilities of the armor depended upon the individual's skills, talents and rank. The armor was plain black and unadorned, except for subtle changes for the different ranks.

Linia had met Ronon Dex during their basic training, and they had become good friends. But, when she had been recruited into the ranks of the Immortals and then made their general, she introduced Ronon to one of her friends (his future wife) to ensure that they never went beyond friends. Though it hurt her to play the part of bridesmaid to Ronon's new beloved, she knew it would hurt her even more to break her new Oath to the Immortals. The Oaths of every Immortal were: 1. Never marry, 2. Always serve the planet's interests before their own, 3. Protect their leader with their very lives, 4. Always protect the weak and defenseless, 5. Always enforce justice and the laws of their government, and 6. Never abuse their power or abilities. These oaths were taken particularly seriously. For death was deemed too easy and painless of a punishment for oath breakers among the Immortals.

Due to these severe restrictions forbidding marriage and families, the Immortals created strong family ties amongst themselves. The general became almost an older sister figure for the others, while the colonels became the middle siblings the youngest look up to and respected, and the captains are the youngest of the siblings that the others will always look after. All Immortals are looked up to and revered by the rest of the population, whether civilian or not. This mindset gave the Immortals a feeling of responsibility beyond what was already there, a feeling of separation from the rest of their culture. In a sense they created their own culture. They became dependent on themselves and independent from the rest of their own civilization.

But then came the betrayal…

Early one morning, Linia was on her way to spend her day off playing ball with the other Immortals. However, on her way out the door, she was caught by a messenger.

In shock, she walked to the gym where her people were still playing their game without a care. As she walked in the door, one of the colonels stopped playing. She could tell something was wrong, so she signaled for the rest to stop as she walked toward her commanding officer.

"Attention On Deck!"

"General, what is wrong?" the Colonel, named Ada Kan, hesitantly asked General Conlan.

"I just received a message from The Chieftain, Ada." Linia said slowly.

"Great, we don't get the day off." Captain Rich Gray laughed, which sprouted laughter among the rest.

"Does he ever let us rest Ma'am?" asked Captain Joy Dae.

"He would normally, but not now." replied Linia.

"What happened? Please, we want to know," Colonel Kan begged.

"Is someone threatening him?" inquired Colonel Art Barrow.

"I wish it was something that simple," Linia said with a sigh. "Bern, the messenger, just informed me that our people have been betrayed to the Wraith; and we have to prepare to escort The Chieftain to safety on a moments notice. We don't have much time, and we don't know where we're going."

"Ma'am, who in their right mind would betray us to the wraith?" asked Captain Gray asked.

"If I knew, they wouldn't be alive to bother us right know, but it isn't our business to ask. We were trained to fight, and to defend. We will defend the one we swore our lives to and our people we serve for as long as we can. That is all we need to know."

Linia walked slowly down the long hall. This would be the last time she would see the place that had become her home in the last few years. Her people were preparing for departure and she had one hour left before they were to escort their leader to the Ring of the Ancestors. They would not be able to carry any of their personal belongings with them. All they could take would be what they could carry in addition to their weapons, ammunition, and provisions they were required to carry. What each needed they carried on them, in the case of separation during a battle. They wanted to take no chances; there were no guarantees about what would happen. Linia did not resent what they had to do. She knew full well the requirements of the situation. Though there was one thing she could not leave undone…

The Immortals were arranged in formation outside of the capital building a few hours later, awaiting General Conlan and The Chieftain. The minutes ticked by… The Chieftain arrived along with the few officials who would travel with him… but there was still no sign of the General.

The room was dark, save for a narrow stream of light from a small window high on the wall. General Conlan stood alone in the middle of the empty room. She could remember the first time she had entered this room. It was the time she had met the man who had become the closest friend she had ever had. The man she had to leave behind today, leaving him to almost certain death. She had never disobeyed an order, and she would not, _could_ not, start now. Her eyes watered as she remembered all the good times they had spent together. All the times they had laughed together. She could not loose control, not now. She still had a mission, one that the lives of her team may depend on her retained control. She wanted to see him one more time. But, that would only make parting harder, and he needed all the time he could get to say farewell to his wife. She had heard that he was trying to make arrangements to have his wife accompany the group she would be escorting through the ring.

Linia drew herself up. Ronon she may never see again, but if he succeeded, then she would be near his wife. Perhaps if she could not protect her long-time friend, then at least she could protect his wife. Linia's eyes hardened with determination. She would protect her, with her very life if need be. The only gift she could give to a friend she could not protect.

Outside the capital building, people were getting restless.

"We can't wait any longer! We have to leave while we have the chance!" one man was saying, while Linia approached slowly from behind the group.

"We are still waiting for the General. We will leave soon," replied Colonel Barrow sternly, she could not see his expression, they were already in full armor, but she knew from experience that he was angry.

"We should just leave her behind if she doesn't care enough about her own life to show up sooner than this!" the same man replied, the others with him were nodding their agreement.

Every Immortal tensed at this denouncement of the one they followed and trusted, hands went to the weapons at their sides and they all took a fighting stance.

Linia did not say anything as she began to pass through the group. Her command relaxed when they saw her approaching. Mixed reaction began to ripple among the rest of the group. Many of them could not remember seeing the general in armour, but none had seen her in armour, yet lacking a helmet (which was held in her arms). She had a smooth, attractive face, not what would be normally expected for the face of the brave and fearless general of the immortals. But, her expression could make the bravest of men cringe in fear.

Linia calmly moved forward until she was between her command and the rest of the group.

"What is going on?" Linia quietly asked. Her voice was low, but it carried to the edges of the group.

"General Conlan," the same unsatisfied man said, "we were about to leave without you."

"And how far did you think you'd get?" Linia calmly asked, "You are out of time, they are almost here." As soon as the words were out of her mouth the military poured out of the building, rushing in all directions, "you are going to need all the protection you can get."

Without another word, Linia put on her helmet and marched in the direction of the Ring of the Ancestors. Half of the Immortals took flanking positions around the group, while the rest followed behind.

Colonels Barrow and Kan followed directly behind Linia and listened silently as she gave some last minute instructions.

"Barrow, lead your group through The Ring first when we get there. Our companions will go next, and Kan your group will go after them." She then looked around and thought, _She's not here? Was he unable to get a place for her? Or did she not wish to come? She always was loyal and hard-headed, just like him. This isn't what I wanted. I cannot protect either my friend or his wife if I leave, if it wasn't for The Chieftain or my command, I'd stay._ _Why did I take that oath?_

"General?" Colonel Kan quietly asked the silent woman walking beside her. "Where will you be? Shouldn't you enter The Ring first?"

Linia's face took on a hard look under her helmet, "I will enter when I am certain it is safe, and no one can, or will follow."

They reached the gate without incident. When they got close, Linia stopped and sent Barrow and his half up ahead. "Secure the other side, but above all else, watch after each other," these where her last orders to a subordinate that was as a brother to her. Colonel Kan on her other side gave her an odd expression as they waited for the leader's group to file through the circle.

"Go Kan, it's your turn." Linia ordered quietly.

"With all due respect Ma'am," Kan stated, "nothing normally fazes you, forgive me for being curious as to why things are different now. I know that we are losing everything, but you have always said that you would be fine as long as you did not lose us, your command. What is bothering you? Why are you not taking the lead?"

"I will follow later, that is all you need to know." Linia said flatly, "You will know the rest when I join you."

Kan stood a moment longer, reading a lot of hidden emotions in the straight, tense stance of the one she admired before she moved to lead her section through the ring. None of the Immortals looked back as they entered; they trusted their general to follow them.

Linia looked behind her; the last of her Immortals had gone into the ring. Yet, already the battle had started on her side. She could hear the whine of wrath darts flying in the distance. They could not enter through the ring, because it had already been activated. But, they were not waiting either. Linia ran to the ancestor's ring, she didn't have time left to think; she had to get through. Her instinct was to protect, and she only had her command left. Everyone else was dead or dying now.

A wrath energy blast hit the step next to her as she climbed the last step before the ring. She looked over her shoulder and saw the dart closing in on her position. The screen inside of her helmet told her its velocity and estimated time before it could read the destination address of the planet they were evacuating to. Linia only had a couple of seconds. She grabbed the gun off her back and let her armor's computer calculate the best angle. Although she would prefer aiming the shot herself, she knew she didn't have the time. The shot from her gun hit the dart head on, with .001 seconds to spare. But, now the flaming dart was coming toward the ring, and her. Linia dived into the ring of the ancestors just before the Wraith dart hit the platform she had been standing on the moment she had taken aim.

Linia looked around a field in shock. Bodies littered the area before her. Bodies of those she served and had served her. They had been slaughtered in the time it had taken to ensure they were not followed. As she numbly looked on the faces of those she knew, she noticed that something was not right. Many of those under her were not there, but also, those slain were not slain by wrath weapons. Linia knelt next to the body of her Chieftain. On the ground next to his lifeless body was a small hollow metal tube. As she picked up the empty shell casing she could feel rage begin to rush through her body.

"The Genii will pay for this," she said between teeth clinched in rage, "If it is the last act in my life before I join my friends in eternal sleep, I will send all the Genii who were responsible for this to the afterlife before me!"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The Stargate Atlantis show and its characters are not my property, only the idea of General Linia and the immortals are mine; Sateda, Ronin, Dex and the rest of the Stargate Atlantis show are not mine.

Linia stood in a clearing, looking up at the stars in the night sky.

_How long has it been? How long since I left my home and the man I loved to their destruction? _She thought to herself. _I can no longer remember. I still have yet to find the scum responsible for my comrades' disappearance, though I have been able to elude the wraith pursuing me. They don't even know where my home has been for these last few years; if you can call this weapons cache and experimental technology testing/storage area a home. _

Her first assumption when she came through The Ring that day, had not been entirely correct. _The Genii are as thorough as they are smart,_ Linia thought with a chuckle. Some of her team had survived, besides those that she found missing completely from the scene. The ones she found alive she brought here with her and nursed back to health. Which was an impressive feat, considering that the survivors numbered twenty-three total. _I wouldn't have been able to save them all if I had needed to carry them all._ Fortunately for all involved, the Genii had not discovered the small transport hidden on that side of the gate for the evacuation, and their implants had obviously come in handy to help the survivors survive their wounds while she brought them here. This underground facility was the only real choice for them to choose for a base.

This was a place that the Satean Government had used for the invention of experimental weapons, armour, and space craft; Linia and her command had on occasion been sent here to guard the scientists, as well as to test their newest creations. They were in truth the only possible choice to test these inventions for the scientists, after all they would be the first to be outfitted with this advanced tech and they had advanced healing abilities in case something goes wrong. The scientists working in this secret instillation, the Immortals, and the Chieftain were the only ones who possessed the knowledge of this facility's existence.

This instillation, code named: New Dawn, was habitually kept well stocked at all times with food, water, weapons, ammunition, and spare armor. It also, at the moment, still housed a prototype spacecraft. It was small, but well suited for their purposes of investigating for the missing Immortals. But when they first arrived at New Dawn, the greater need was for the fairly large, well stocked infirmary.

For Linia those first few weeks were a blur. Dragging the wounded into the infirmary one by one, and hooking them up to various machines. Treating their wounds, and stimulating their heightened healing abilities to work faster in order to save the more grievously wounded. It broke her heart even now to remember seeing her friends, those she knew to be strong, capable no matter the situation, to have been rendered so helpless, so broken. _But, time heals all wounds, thankfully even the physical. _They had survived.

That had been months ago, however, and Linia's focus was shifting back to her missing comrades. She had saved many of them, but she would never rest until she knew the fate of her entire officer corps (live or dead), had mourned the passing of the fallen, and had avenged their death.

This morning therefore, was the day she planned to begin this quest. Yesterday, she had finally been assured that all of her companions were completely healed. With this new peace of mind, she feels free to set out on this seemingly hopeless mission. And so here she waited, in the last calm moment of the morning, as chaos ensues behind her. Because, when she had announced her intention to take the Scorpion out this morning, and why, every one of her immortals had volunteered to accompany her.

Instead of having to choose from among her trusted comrades she left the choice of her crew to her second in command, Colonel Barrow, and she came out to watch the sunrise for a moment of peace.

"Ma'am, we have prepared the Scorpion for departure," Colonel Barrow said as he approached her.

"Good work, Colonel. Were you able to narrow down the crew volunteers?"

"Yes Ma'am, we finally narrowed the list sufficiently." Art Barrow answered with a smile.

"How many hands of cards?" Linia asked with a smile of her own.

"Quite a few, Ma'am, I lost count." Barrow replied, causing Linia to laugh out loud.

"I bet that you are one of the lucky ones." Linia stated.

"Seniority has its privileges," Barrow stated smugly, "as well as, a reminder that they did not want to leave me in charge back here."

Linia laughed again on hearing this statement, for she knew how true it was. Although, Colonel Art Barrow is a wonderful officer and leader, is never comfortable when left behind from a mission and will drive anyone around him crazy in his frustration.

"Ok, Barrow, let's go," and turning her back on the landscape, Linia preceded Barrow back into the compound toward the hanger and the rest of the Scorpion's crew.

As Linia and Barrow wove their way through the narrow corridors of the underground compound, they began to hear the low thunder of conversation from ahead of them.

The underground hanger was filled with heated conversation, as the remainder of the Corps argued amongst themselves. The fortunate defended their right to accompany Linia in the Scorpion, while the rest questioned at the top of their lungs.

"Atten-tion!" Linia's voice thundered through the cavernous room, cutting off all the conversations. "Enough. What was the meaning of this? Are you the best or not? Do you not know that means you are above the rest? That you are smarter, faster, _stronger_; but above all you are more responsible and disciplined than any other soldier. So use those brains and think!" Linia said looking each of her men and women in the eyes, "this is a scouting mission, those going with me are only the first step to getting our friends back. While we are gone, the rest of you will practice working as a team. When we return, I will need all of you to be at your best. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" echoed through the room.

"There may only be twenty-four of us against an army…" Linia smiled at her men.

"I feel sorry for the army!" came from Barrow next to her, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers and shouts.

General Linia looked out of the Scorpion's window at the facility their ship was slowly approaching. The small craft retained a single destination in its navigational systems. Linia and her people had no idea if this location was suicidal, but they all felt it was worth the risk to find out. _It's not as if we were overloaded with options, but this one has proved to be beyond providential_.

The facility appeared to have been crafted by the Ancestors as some sort of factory. _Although it will be interesting to discover the importance of building a factory in the middle of an asteroid belt, the resources are plentiful but the location is isolated, and why would they need this substantial supply of resources? _The main complex seemed to have been carved directly from the large asteroid in which it resided; while several smaller asteroids surrounding it bore smaller structures resting on their surfaces. _Well, the only sure way to see what this was used for, or if it even still works, is to investigate from the inside._ "Barrow, are you detecting any sign of a hanger bay on the main structure?"

"Yes Ma'am, on the bottom level."

"Then, take us in Barrow. I want to know what this place is."

"Yes Ma'am!"

Once inside, Linia ordered the group to split up in order to cover the area of the complex more effectively. Colonel Art Barrow took Major Moran Roark and in investigating the first passageway they discovered what appeared to be a vast storage chamber filled sealed crates of supplies. "It looks like we've hit the mother-load Roark."

"What all do you think is in these crates, Colonel?"

"I don't think there is any way of telling, without opening them all." Barrow said while trying to take in the sheer number of crates in the room. "Come on, there has to be more to find in this place."

Major Cahira Teague and Captain Joy Dae choosing the opposite passageway, had found themselves in a very well organized and elaborately stocked… armory. Being two seasoned warriors who appreciate quality weapons, the two women were drooling.

"Should we report this to the general?" Captain Dae asked after a few minutes.

"We will, in a few more minutes…"

General Linia taking Captain Trevor Ualtar with her, had gone through the door between the two passageways. On the other side they had found a short hallway with open doorways leading to eating areas, sleeping chambers, and even a conference room, but at the end of the hallway was the most interesting discovery of all. For, at the end of the hallway, they found the computer chamber.

"Ualtar, have you found anything?" Linia asked after a few minutes of the two of them pouring over the computer panels searching for answers to this strange complex.

"Yes! I think I finally found something!" Ualtar exclaimed.

"What does it say?" Linia asked, rushing over.

"It says here, that this complex was built to be an independent and self sustaining starship factory. Feeding off of the natural resources of the numerous minerals and resources found in these asteroids, the factory would never have to be supplied by an outside source. It also says that since the factory is self sustaining, it is programmed to create the zero point modules that power both the starships and this facility." Ualtar replied, "General, this can build any kind of starship the Ancestors ever used!"

"Now this is interesting…" Linia said thoughtfully.

"General, you need to see this!" Barrow said as he and Roark rushed in.

"General, you will never believe this!" Teague exclaimed as Barrow finished, Teague and Dae rushed in looking like excited children.

But, Linia after listening to their excited reports, merely grinned. Turning to Ualtar she said, "Trevor, I'm thinking Warship."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The Stargate Atlantis show and its characters are not my property, only the idea of General Linia and the immortals are mine; Sateda, Ronin, Dex and the rest of the Stargate Atlantis show are not mine.

After the general's declaration the squad erupted into motion.

"Trevor, can you restrict access to the ship systems to us Immortals, by way of our implants?"

"Yes Ma'am, easy as falling off a log. That is, Ma'am, if you happen to have a record of the rest of the Implant signatures. I will have to record them in the programming for the ship's computer to recognize us."

"Excellent, Art, take Moran and head back to New Dawn to pick up our brothers and sisters."

"Yes Ma'am," Barrow replied, "that will require several trips, we only have room for six at a time in the ship we came in."

"That won't be necessary," Linia stated as she leaned over a computer panel. "These records state that a medium range transport was left behind when the Ancestors abandoned this instillation. It was left in a secondary hanger one level above us. Utilizing both this transport and the small craft we brought, you will be able to retrieve everyone we left as well as any useful supplies, weapons and armor you can find room for. Any questions?" the general asked looking between Colonel Barrow and Major Roark.

"Ok, then," Linia continued when neither officer responded. "Art will take the medium transport, and Moran will take the ship we came here in."

"Yes Ma'am," Barrow replied as he and Roark ran out.

"Cahira, you and Joy will work on modifying those weapons you found."

"Yes, Ma'am!" they replied with no little excitement.

"Any specific modifications you have in mind, Ma'am?" Major Teague inquired.

"Whatever you come up with. I trust your expertise in this area." Linia replied smiling at her sisters, "Only one thing, assign the weapons to a specific Immortal implant, I don't want any of our weapons to be used in the hands of our enemy."

"Yes Ma'am, we hear and obey," Cahira replied as she and Joy turned to leave.

"Trevor, tell me when you are ready for that data," Linia said as she turned back to study the schematics of the instillations.

"Yes Ma'am, I will. Ma'am there is something you need to know."

"Yes, Trevor?"

"According to this computer, we can request the facility to construct as many warships, transports, small fighters, weapons, and power sources as we want; however the construction time for each individual item exponentially increases for each additional item the facility constructs at a time."

"I see… how long will it take for the warship alone?"

"According to this, after calculating the time needed for designing… building… and then outfitting… arming… and finally testing the finished ship… two years total."

"I hope that in two years we will have found our lost comrades, but even if that is the case we will still need to protect ourselves." _We are on our own now…_ she thought to herself. "So, go ahead and build us a warship, and let's see what else on that schematic list we can use."

"Everything you can imagine is on here, General!" he said as he touched one of the crystals on the panel and the clear screen in front of them began to cycle three-dimensional images of starships with various sizes and purposes. "The Ancestors have programmed starships ranging from reconnaissance, science and exploration, transport, and various degrees of warfare; as well as weapons of all shapes and sizes. But, here is another interesting object." Trevor stated, and as he touched another crystal the images of the ships diminished and an image of an odd looking octangular object replaced them. "This … _object_, according to what I have read, is the power source for everything that the Ancestors created, their ships, their facilities, everything."

"You're joking! This… thing, powers everything? No one uses the same power source for everything!" Linia replied in shocked disbelief.

"That's what the Ancestors recorded in their computer."

"Ok, I believe you, but it still sounds strange. Where will we find this… object; whatever it is."

"This facility produces them; it is on the list of objects it can construct." Trevor said with a smile. "The time of construction is a mere matter of weeks, as opposed to the months and years required for most of the star ships. Even though I cannot pronounce the ancient name for this power source, I am able to decipher its purpose and specifications."

"'Power source' is a good enough name for me. Put several of those on the list, I have a feeling we are going to need them." Linia said as she leaned over the panel to get a closer look at the odd object rotating on the screen. "Now, what else can we use?"

Linia and Trevor sifted through the lengthy list, selecting ships and weapons that looked useful or just plain fun to have. They chose scout ships equipped with cloaking devices, and chose to construct multiple warships and transports, and various weapons from the extensive list.

"I wish I knew what some of these weapons are, these descriptions are extremely vague. General, are you sure we aren't building too much equipment?"

"No, Trevor, I don't think so. When preparing for the unknown you can never be too prepared, especially when looking this far into the future," Linia said with a gentle smile. "Now let's see how far into the future this places us."

"Ok, let me see, the weapons will be finished in two to six weeks… the first ship, one of the scout ships will be completed in four weeks, and the first of the warships will be finished in seven years. The power sources will be completed in three month intervals. And, the rest of our selected ships will be completed in various amounts of time between now and when the warship is completed."

"It seems like a long time now, but there is much to do that will fill in the time," Linia stated, as she pulled a tiny memory storage device from a hidden compartment inside of her helmet. "This contains the implant ID signatures of every Immortal. Go ahead and incorporate them into the programming for everything we are constructing, and then see if you can get this facility started. I am going to check on Major Teague." Linia said handing the device to Ualtar.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Linia strolled toward the weapons chamber, mentally tallying all of the tasks ahead of her in order to turn this construction facility into a home for her and her comrades. _We would all like to remain at New Dawn, however that does not seem the most practical solution any longer. This facility is protected by a large remote defense satellite system which is only lacking power at the moment, a safety precaution that New Dawn is in sore need of; therefore this is decidedly the safer solution of the two instillations. If we are going to be here for the many years that I am suspecting, I need to find as many ways as I can to make this a comfortable home for us, _Linia thought, coming to a stop in the corridor. "I think I need to look at the layout of the station again,"she mumbled to herself, as she stepped to a computer panel attached to the wall of the corridor beside her. With a touch of her specially wired glove to the panel, Linia gained instant access to the system's schematics, and its systems; and she began her planning

Several long years passed…

The secluded station began to feel home to the handful of Immortals. However, they did not remain there exclusively. From the shelter of the base they reached into the surrounding systems, travelling in small groups seeking information about the Genii who had ambushed them. They never stayed in a single area for very long, and they often aided the locals they found in whatever way they could. Since, they have never forgotten their oaths. From these actions, news began to spread far and wide about the mysterious strangers. No one knew who they were, or where they were from, or even what they looked like (they always wore their armor in these villages). They never gave information about themselves, and this lack of information ignited the imaginations of the villagers they helped. The stories began to spread of a group of Paladins, naming them paragons of all that is good and noble and virtuous. If the Immortals had known that such stories were being told, they would have been both shocked and speechless knowing full well that these things were far from true. Paragons? And paladins? Holy knights defending all, shinning with virtue and truth? Hardly. But, thanks to the efficiency of trade and travel, the stories spread beyond the reach of anyone who might be willing to stop them.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The Stargate Atlantis show and its characters are not my property, only the idea of General Linia and the immortals are mine; Sateda, zero point modules, Ronin Dex and the rest of the Stargate Atlantis show are not mine.

The dull roar of conversation surrounded Linia as she sat in the back corner of the local pub. Linia sat back in her chair and toyed with the untouched tankard of ale in front of her.

"People truly see what they want to see," she thought to herself.

She has come to this particular pub regularly for the last several weeks, in an effort to learn more information. Dressed in a dark and drab peasant outfit, Linia can easily blend into the tired travelers who frequent this particular pub. Although Linia would prefer travelling in her armor, the appearance of the Immortal's armor has become too well known. Villagers flock to them wherever they go; requesting their help, protection, or just their presence… almost as if we were visiting royalty…

"They are very eager to help us, but their overwhelming enthusiasm is more of a hindrance than a help in our search…" Linia thought reflectively, "which is why I am here now, investigating in a more undercover fashion. Although, I may have to move on soon, I haven't gained any substantial intelligence since I first came to this pub." Linia concluded, once again swirling the amber liquid in the tankard. "The owner even hasn't noticed that I don't drink…" She thought, quietly chuckling to herself. The ale she always ordered was purely to create a more authentic disguise.

As Linia came to this conclusion, she noticed a change in the atmosphere of the pub. A commotion quickly spread through the room as the patrons began to whisper about 'strangers' and the 'city of the ancients'.

"Wow, something interesting may actually come from my time here," Linia thought with a grin as she leaned further back into the shadows her corner was encased in.

The pub grew strangely silent as four strangers entered. They were unlike any of the peasants who frequently traveled through this village. They dressed in a strange armor (which seemed to be made out of cloth) and carried alien weaponry. _What kind of warrior wears cloth as their armor? _As Linia watched from her corner, the four men introduced themselves to the village elder as a team from the Ancestor's city of Atlantis. They went on to express the desire to learn about any unusual alien technology or artifacts in or around the village.

The village elder welcomed the strangers, and invited them to join him at his personal table. The elder then proceeded to inform the strangers about the nearby ruins of a city of the Ancestors. He tells the strangers that the village children occasionally play close to the ruins, and that these children will return with stories pertaining to mysterious lights and unknown devices. The strangers express gratitude for the information, and after enjoying the hospitality extended by the elder the strangers soon left. As the four men left, Linia heard them discuss transmitting the information back to Atlantis and Major Shepherd.

"Atlantis… I've heard about the people living in that great city of the Ancestors. They're a group of foreigners who have claimed Atlantis for their own, and have even tried to establish themselves as the central authority and law in this galaxy. I think I need to have a talk with their leader." Linia thought, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair. "But first, I have a bone to pick with my _dear friend_, the elder."

Linia stood up slowly made her way across the room toward the elder's table. The elder's companions had just left, and Linia slipped soundlessly into a chair directly across from the elder. This elder, known both in the village and surrounding communities as 'Master Carpenter,' earned his renown through his skill in the art of carpentry.

"Ah, my dear Madam Conlan, what can I do for you?" the elder inquired of Linia.

"I have a question which is in need of answers, Master Carpenter," Linia stated with a steady gaze toward the elder.

"You have been with us a long while now, longer than most traders," he commented. "And yet, no one seems to know what it is you trade, or why you have graced our small village with your presence."

"I needed information Master, I told you that the day we met," Linia replied leaning forward. "Now I would like to know why you gave the most important information pertaining to your village to those strange foreigners while not even hinting about it to me."

"Do you mean those old ruins?" The elder said incredulously, "I never would have thought you wanted information about those, you never asked about ruins."

Linia closed her eyes for a second and took a deep calming breath. _I was here searching for information for weeks, and I'm not told this because I didn't ask about ruins! _"I'm asking now, sir… will you tell me where they are?"

A few minutes later, Linia walks briskly from the pub and headed toward the outskirts of the village. At the edge of the village, she was joined by Lt. Colonel Crevan Lorcan and Majors Quaid Mago and Aibhe Torin. All of whom were also disguised as common travelers.

"General, may I ask why you are leaving the village so soon?" Lt. Colonel Lorcan asked as soon as they caught up to Linia.

"I finally have some useful information. Ruins of an old city of the Ancestors lay approximately an hour's march to the west of here."

"Do you think the Genii will come for the technology?" Crevan inquired.

"Yes, Lorcan, I believe they will, and very soon."

"But wouldn't the Genii have already tried for the ruins? They have been here a long time already," Major Torin asked Linia.

"They would have if they knew about them. A team of the troublemaking foreigners living in the Ancestor's city of Atlantis just now learned of the ruins, and they left to report this find to their superiors. As soon as the superiors arrive to investigate the ruins, the Genii will also arrive to claim the technology in the ruins for themselves." Linia informed her companions as she continued walking outside of the village to the cache they had created for storing their supplies and armor. "The Genii have been very consistent recently about arriving close to the same time as the foreigners when the Ancestor's technology is involved. Until now we have only been able to pick through the remains after both groups have left, in our effort to find clues as to where the Genii traveled next. This time, however, we are here first, so we can prepare a nice welcome for them." Linia concluded with a sly grin on her face as her companions began to energetically propose plans for the trap they were about to set.

When the four arrived at their supply cache, Linia began to distribute orders. "Lorcan, take Mago and pick up Barrow and the rest of our group that we left with our ship. Go ahead and fly the ship to the ruins, we might need the supplies we left on board. Torin will send you the exact location when we find it."

"Yes, Ma'am." Lorcan acknowledged as he and Mago climbed in one of the two small two-person land-vehicles used as ground transportation.

Linia and Torin watched the others drive off, then climbed in the other land-vehicle and drove west to find the ruins. The land vehicle was a small open air vehicle consisting of a long seat on which the driver and a passenger could sit, and propelled by four hover devices located at the four corners of the vehicle. This vehicle quickly became the favorite all-terrain transport for the Immortals, since it proved to be highly versatile for water, land, and harsh terrain.

The village Linia and her squad departed from lay nestled beside a wide trade river in a fertile valley. It is located about two miles downriver from the large cliff walls which surround the valley, and across the river from a large forest. Behind the village a vast grass field which filled the remainder of the valley. In the middle of the forest across the river, where Linia is now headed, sits the only mountain inside of the valley. As Linia and Torin drove around the border of the forest, they found a funnel-like opening into the heart of the small mountain.

They followed the 'tunnel' into the heart of the mountain, and the walls opened into an open-roofed cavern sheltering the ruins they searched for. Yet, the ruins in this area were only a section, or slice, of the Ancestor's city that once existed here. The remainder of the city was encased inside of the mountain itself.

"This isn't a mountain… This mound was formed by the ruins when the city was destroyed…" Linia stated as she and Torin began to look around the ruins.

"This is incredible." Torin exclaimed. "What kind of destruction would it take to turn a city into a literal mountain of destruction?"

"For the moment that is not our concern." Linia replied as she surveyed their surroundings. "Signal the others Torin… I think this will be the perfect location for our welcome."

Barrow, Lorcan and Mago arrived and unloaded supplies for the ambush. The squad armed themselves with sniper rifles in addition to their signature weapons and donned their armor in preparation of their greeting for the Genii. Then, Quaid Mago flew the ship to a secure location (around the back of the mountain of ruins from their location) while Linia and the rest of the squad began to set trip mines for the ambush.

Within a matter of minutes a net of trip mines surrounded the first room inside of the ruins which the canyon entrance emptied into. The squad settled into defensible sniper positions around the ambush location, and waited for the Genii to arrive.

Quaid Mago took his position closer to the entrance, in order to warn the others when their enemy arrived. Before long, he could see a Genii soldier coming down the tunnel. Mago signaled the squad and they waited for their enemy to enter the trap.

The Genii turned into a unit of twenty which spread into the first room, loudly discussing the possibilities on how to quickly remove any valuable technology before the Atlantis team's arrival. Linia signaled her squad, and they all picked their targets.

Five soldiers went down from the first round of shots. Linia reloaded as she watched the Genii trip the net of mines in their attempt to escape. Explosions enveloped the area, and Linia signaled the squad to hold as she waited for the dust to settle. _I need one of them alive to answer our questions._ She thought as the area slowly became visible again. She saw no movement from their enemies as the dust cleared, yet this did not mean that none survived.

"Barrow, did they trigger all of your mines?" Linia asked.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'm not getting a reading from any of them now."

"You'd think they'd have been smart enough to not have run in every direction." Major Aibhe Torin responded.

"Can anyone this stupid really have gotten the upper hand on us?" Major Quaid Mago questioned.

"That doesn't make them smart," answered Lieutenant Colonel Crevan Lorcan, "just lucky."

"And this is the end of their luck." Linia stated. "Lorcan, take Mago and watch the tunnel entrance; we don't need any surprises. Barrow and Torin, come with me. I want to see if any of them survived."

Lorcan and Mago established sentry positions around the tunnels entrance as she, Barrow, and Torin descended into the rubble to search for survivors among their enemy.

"General, I think we may have done too good of a job. There's no way anyone survived those blasts." Barrow commented as they carefully made their way into the debris.

"They may still be able to give us the answers we need. Search for anything. We just need something that will give us a clue about the location of their base."

"Yes, Ma'am." Torin responded as she knelt to search the pockets of a Genii soldier.

"General, you need to wrap it up. We have company coming."Lorcan signaled over their helmet communicators.

"That's faster than I expected, the explosion must've gotten their attention. Barrow, Torin… did you find anything?"

"No, we need more time." Barrow responded.

"We're out of time. Fall back to cover." Linia responded.

"General, I found something!" Torin exclaimed, holding up a data storage device she found on the soldier.

"Good work, Torin. Get behind cover… hurry." Linia ordered, as she pulled up her rifle to cover her squad's retreat behind cover.

The squad was safe behind cover within a few seconds. But, before Linia could take cover herself the newcomers entered the ruins with guns raised.

_This can get very unpleasant very fast. _Linia thought as she sized up the four newcomers. _Cloth attire… light weapons… motley crew… definitely the Atlantis people's first squad… and that would make the leader…_

"Major Shepherd I presume." Linia stated as Lorcan and Mago cautiously moved behind the newcomers with their guns closely trained on them.

"How do you know that?"

"The entire galaxy knows you major." Linia replied as Barrow and Torin left their cover to guard their general. "Can you travel anywhere without completely disrupting the life and order of the region?"

"What do you mean? And what did you do to these people?"

"I have heard much about you and your squad major, and most of it was not flattering." She answered as she slowly lowered her gun. "This meeting does not need to end violently. We are not after you, no matter how much we disagree with your tactics. We only seek the Genii."

"Shepherd, I think I know these people. You do not want to challenge them." The roughest one of the four spoke to Major Shepherd.

"Your companion is right … you do not want to challenge us." Linia calmly reiterated. "But, I wonder… how much does he know about us." _Who is this scruffy man… he seems very familiar…_ she thought taking a closer look at him.

Art Barrow stepped closer to the familiar stranger, and slowly lowered his own gun. "Specialist Dex?"

"Ronon?" Linia asked in shock, as she signaled her squad to stand down.


End file.
